Have you ever gone on vacation to a foreign country and not found yourself pursuing your numismatic hobby?

I was sorting through some old papers the other night and I found my journal from a trip to Spain several years ago. As I read through the daily notes, I was amused by how often coins and medals kept coming up. Actually coins, medals, and food. How can you travel through Spain and not enjoy the excellent local cuisine?

February 28:
“Went to a tasca for tapas. It was early—‘only’ 6:00 p.m. or so (dinnertime is 10:00 or later)—so we had the tasca to ourselves. A back room, well lit, with a fireplace, bookcases with old leather-bound volumes, walls lined with gilt mirrors and artwork. Good tapas—heavy and satisfying, with patatas de los pobres (“poor man’s potatoes,” steeped in garlic butter), pan con tomate y jamón (bread with tomato and ham), shaved salmon on toast, cured ham, fried cheese, and a potato omelet. Good sangria, too.”

There was an interesting temporary exhibit at the art museum of Thyssen-Bornemisza. The focus was on Kandinsky and his contemporaries, and the influence of music on their work. Of course a visit to the Reina Sofia was also on the itinerary, to view Guernica and other Picasso treasures. And anyone in Madrid on a Sunday has to visit the open-air market of El Rastro.

March 2:
“We went to the market, El Rastro, to hunt for bargains. Around 9:00 a.m. sellers were still setting up their stalls. Lots of books, furniture, hardware, kitsch, geegaws, antiques, coins, etc. I bought some comics by Francisco Ibañez (2.25 euros each); a dozen old Spanish silver coins (19th and 18th centuries); an engraved political or love token of Alfonso XII (needs more research!) for 5 euros; and four papal-visit medals (Guadalupe monastery, 1982).”

The Alfonso XII token and the papal medals have since been written up in the Metropolitan Coin Club of Atlanta journal. As for the “old silver coins”: were they authentic? At bargain prices in Madrid’s famous/infamous Rastro market. . . I think we can safely assume they’re “medallic tributes.”

Later that day:

“Then to the archaeological museum—saw the Dama de Elche, old Roman coins and artifacts, mosaic floor patterns, busts, architecture, unguentarias, jewelry and household artifacts, etc.”

A stroll through the Royal Palace offered some beautiful examples of the medallist’s craft:

March 3:
“We had breakfast at the hotel. Then to a bank to get some souvenir rolls of coins (1- and 2-cents). Walked to the Palacio Real and toured its parade grounds and interior. Saw the main reception areas and about 20 of its 2,000-plus rooms—smoking rooms and lounges, bedchambers, the dining hall, etc. The Theatre Room has cabinets of historical medals, including some from King Juan Carlos’s personal collection.”

Any collector in the vicinity of the central square in Madrid has to visit the local coin dealers.

“We walked and metro’d to the Plaza Mayor to hunt for coin shops. Saw lots of old medals in excellent condition. Bought a box of 13 arras tokens (recuerdos matrimoniales)—replicas of 2-reales coins from the 1860s to circa 1905.”

Using arras tokens as part of a wedding ceremony is an old Spanish custom, discussed in some detail in the Guide Book of United States Tokens and Medals, by Katherine Jaeger. The collection I purchased was from a wedding held in the 1930s, before Francisco Franco took power.

Naturally while in the Plaza Mayor you’re almost guaranteed a good meal:

“Had lunch of tapas at an outside restaurant. Accordionista teams wandering about. Enjoyed seafood, potatoes, and tenderloin pork, and a jug of sangria. Listened to street musicians; bought some medals featuring the caudillo, Franco, from a vendor—10 for 12 euros—then walked to the Plaza del Sol. Took the train to see the Ventas bullfight ring (from the outside, anyway; the museum is closed on Mondays and the corridas season hasn’t started yet).”

We collectors can find numismatics wherever our travels take us. At flea markets our eyes are drawn toward small, round objects and the telltale color of old paper money; we ask friends for recommendations of good coin shops before we go on vacation; we save pocket change when we go abroad. While preparing for our journeys, there are plenty of good numismatic books to read in advance. The best part is that no matter where we go, there’s always something numismatic just around the corner (and as close as the nearest cash register).

By the time I visited Spain, the country had already converted to the euro monetary system. Perhaps more interesting from a pocket-change perspective was a trip to Greece a couple years earlier, while that nation still used the drachma—a coin with ancient historical roots. Still, it was fun to study the Spanish euro (with its portrait of King Juan Carlos) and its fractions (featuring Miguel de Cervantes, the father of Spanish literature; and the Spanish-Roman cathedral of Santiago de Compostela).

World coins offer fascinating opportunities for American collectors. Later this year, Whitman will debut the 14th edition of the popular “Brown Book”—the Guide Book of Modern World Coins, originally written by R.S. Yeoman, and now edited by Arthur Friedberg. Canadian coins, too, is the focus of a Guide Book of Canadian Coins. With these books you can travel the continent and abroad—and through the centuries—in the comfort of your own home, with your collection spread out before you, a beautiful little world of coins.

Top left: The profile portrait of His Majesty King Alphonse (Alfonso) XII has been engraved with a visor cap and suit on a bronze 5-centimo. The bronze 5-centimo’s reverse is engraved with a dynamic, swirly design and a name: A. Rojí.